The Washington critic., 1887-09-23

esting "reminiscences Of Mr.. Lincoln, and a
number OF special articles Of timely and at
tractivo character Although TnE CRIrtC
is not as capacious rs we could wish II were,
aud intend 1t shall be, We shall SO endeavor
TO utilize It's space and other facilities as tp
make 1t peculiarly acceptable to an intell.
gent reading pubic, especially the Saturday
edition. We have abundant evidence that
its efforts are well appreciated.
AN OVERLOADED CURWICULUM.
The children in the sixth grade of
The public schools are confronted with
the following formidable curriculum
this year Penmnnship, Drawn,
Reading, Elementary Arithmetic, Men
tai Arithmetic, Grammar, Music, Geog.
raphy, History aud Hygiene!
Evidently child who Is compelled
to undergo such course of crammiug
as this and expects to win high merit
marks will have quite as many hours
of hard work outside of the school.
house as In it; and we respectfully sub.
init 10 the Board Of Trustees that a
burden like this is altogether too heavy
to be imposed upon boy or girl of
tender years, to say nothing of the three
or four dollars for books which many
parents find 1t serious matter to pay.
We do not know that the number of
studies mentioned Is too great, If they
are properly distributed through the
week, but we do know that for children
of twelve to fourteen, there are too
many 'hard" studies In the list.
The Mental Arithmetic could be
spared without serious detriment to
their intellectual training, or, If that
suggestion is shocking to modern ideas
of education, why not leave out the
Grammar, which is, by all odds, the
most useless text book ever put into q
scholars hands, Of any age?
Yet there are those who believe that
the underpinning of human society
would give way, If the Grammar were
dispensed with.
Well, II the Grammar a,d the Men.
tai Arithmetic have to remain to per-
plex without protiting, what say you
to letting the History go over to a
higher grade? There is great deal
in the book used that Is uninteresting
to the youthful student and more a
mass of dates and statistics than of en-
tertaining narrative. History can be
studied to very little advantage until
the pupil is mature enough to study 1t
philosophically and grasp its true
meaning, as a reflex of human progress
in science, religion, discovery and the
principles of civil liberty.
The dates and statistics and dry de-
tails pass out of the chlld's mind about
as rapidly as the arilhmetlcal processes
and grammatical rules with which 1t Is
loaded up only TO be forgotten.
But If not History or Grammar, OF
Mental Arithmetic-if 1t be still in
sisted that our sweet little girl or red
checked little boy must waste theil
sweetness Of temper and rosy hues o.
health, In long winter evening strug
giles with the strategic movements o
fleets and armies, or subjects, preli
Gates and objective elements, or tn
true inwardness Of greatest common
denominators and divisors, how Is |
with the class book of Hygiene2
The common place and unsophisti
Gated mind naturally inclines to tn
perverse notion that there is no par
ticular use or sense In putting children
just entering their teens, upon cours
of study into the nature and propertie
of alcoholic spirits, and their hygieni
effects upon the human system. Tn
CRITIC will probably be "downed'
on this with the rest, but If the trustee
are still determined to impose this pc
hobby of the New Hampshire Senate
upon the infant schools, we shal
stoutly insist that SANITARY Plumb
Ing" and the elements of Sewerage,
be added to the list.
Whatever may be done, our readers
will have no difficulty In understand
ing what THE CRITIC thinks ought t,
be done.
1t will be apparent to the commones
understanding that no child can pror
erly absorb and assimilate such
curriculum as Is here laid out for tn
sixth grade without many hours q
laborious study outside of schoc
hours, that cannot fail TO be perniciou
and against which all right. minde
persons should severely protest.
To put child to studying Hygien
and, at the same time, set up methot
of instruction that are n challenge an
insult to all sound hygienic principle
mnY be good sense, but we very muo